Dodge put its pin on the EV map Tuesday with the 2024 Charger Daytona, which it calls the world’s first all-electric muscle car. Though the automaker is busy preparing a revamped gas-powered version of the Charger to debut in 2025, the Charger Daytona is expected to change the game for drivers interested in owning an EV but unwilling to ditch performance.
The updated EV coupe will come in two trims: the Daytona R/T and the Daytona Scat Pack. Dodge says both are driven by a 400V propulsion system with V8 performance, minus the tailpipe emissions and torque delay. With a PowerShot steering wheel button offering a 40-horsepower boost, the R/T will deliver 496 horsepower, and the Scat Pack cranks out an impressive 670 horsepower. On top of Eco, Sport, and Snow modes, drivers can play around with Track and Drag modes. Drift and Donut modes are exclusive to the Scat Pack.
Although some electric cars embrace the rounded silhouette currently taking the EV world by storm—or switch body types entirely, à la Ford’s Mustang Mach-E—the Charger Daytona maintains its predecessor’s bold angles and wide stance. The new nameplate also sticks with the ICE version’s notorious noise. Using a patent-pending system, Dodge calls the “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust,” the automaker promises to set the Charger Daytona apart from other EVs with “Hellcat levels of sound intensity.” For this, drivers—and their disgruntled neighbors—can thank a series of speakers and subwoofers hidden under the car. Force generators built into the chassis will also deliver vibrations of their own, mimicking the OG Charger.
In a preview event Tuesday, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis reportedly said he “doesn’t care” about the Charger Daytona’s range and efficiency, and neither do muscle car owners themselves. But the Charger Daytona features a pretty decent range anyway. The Daytona R/T has an expected 317-mile range, which drops to 260 for the Daytona Scat Pack. Buyers can opt to include an at-home Level 2 wall charger with their purchase. With a Level 3 fast charger, however, they’ll achieve 9.9 miles per minute of charging for the R/T and 8.1 per minute for the Scat Pack.
A four-door version of the Charger Daytona is expected to begin production at the start of next year. Unexpectedly, gas-powered versions of the Charger will also return for the 2025 model year. They'll offer a pair of inline twin-turbo sixes producing 425 and 550 horsepower, plus two- and four-door body styles on tap, according to Car and Driver. So far, Dodge hasn’t released price information for any of the new Charger iterations.
